Tanker News

A sanctioned tanker carrying some 300,000 barrels of naphtha from Russia entered Venezuelan waters late on Thursday, while three others also under sanctions either stopped navigation or began redirecting course in the Atlantic Ocean, ship tracking data showed, a sign of last-minute decisions by ship owners amid U.S. President Donald Trump's "blockade" of all oil tankers under sanctions bound for the OPEC country.Trump on Tuesday ordered a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers to and from the South American country…

Venezuela's state-run company PDVSA is dealing with stuck oil cargoes, rising price discounts and demands from customers to change terms of spot contracts following the U.S. seizure of a ship carrying the OPEC country's crude, traders and sources said.As Washington's pressure on President Nicolas Maduro grows, the U.S. Coast Guard last week intercepted the vessel Skipper near Venezuela's coast, its first seizure of an oil tanker or cargo from the South American country. The U.S. also imposed sanctions against six ships and their linked companies.By the time the U.S.

Leading tanker shipping company Stena Bulk has announced that it has officially reflagged its Suezmax tanker Stena Surprise under the Swedish flag, marking a milestone for Swedish shipping. A ceremony was held on board the vessel in Nynäshamn, Sweden. Andreas Carlson, Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, attended to witness the hoisting of the Swedish flag.Built in 2012, Stena Surprise is the latest Suezmax tanker to join the Swedish Shipping Register, following Stena Sunrise and Stena Suede in flying the Swedish colours.

The United States on Thursday issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela, imposing curbs on three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro's wife, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington ramps up pressure on Caracas.The action came as the U.S. executes a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean and as U.S. President Donald Trump campaigns for Maduro's ouster. On Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. had seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.The U.S.

The U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week, as it increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, six sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.The seizure was the first interdiction of an oil cargo or tanker from Venezuela, which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019. It came as the U.S. executes a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean and as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for Maduro's ouster.The latest U.S.

Manufacturer Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) has signed a deal with global maritime transportation group Fratelli Cosulich to support its methanol-ready fleet expansion.APC has signed a contract with the Italian headquartered group to supply its industry-leading MarineLINE cargo tank coating to two new IMO Class II chemical tankers, to prepare them for methanol bunkering in Singapore.The MarineLINE cargo tank coating will ensure superior chemical resistance, faster tank turnaround and extended service life.The 7…

A Turkish-owned oil tanker that was damaged near Senegal's coast last week was hit by four external explosions but there were no injuries or pollution, its manager said on Monday.The vessel, Mersin, was at anchor near Dakar when the four explosions occurred at 2345 GMT on November 27, resulting in seawater entering the engine room, Istanbul-based Besiktas Shipping said in a written statement.The cause of the explosions was not clear."The situation was immediately brought under control, and we confirm that all crew members are safe; there are no injuries, no loss of life, and no pollution," the

A Singapore-registered passenger ferry and a Marshall Islands-registered tanker collided off Singapore’s Southern Islands, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said, adding that all passengers and crew were safe.The ferry, Horizon 9, was en route to HarbourFront Centre when it collided with the tanker La Digue at around 5 pm local time, the MPA said.A patrol craft was deployed to escort and guide the ferry back to port, where all 165 passengers and seven crew disembarked…

Concordia Damen has announced the delivery of a CDS Tanker 135. Last week, the vessel successfully passed its trials, after having been outfitted at Concordia Damen’s shipyard in Werkendam by its long-time outfitter CCM3, and many trusted suppliers and partners. MTS Gambler is 135 meters long and 11.45 meters wide and is designed for the transport of mineral oils. It boasts a cargo capacity of 4,180 m³. Due to its proven and optimized design, the vessel sails with minimal resistance and features a favorable speed-power curve.

Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) has signed its first deal with Oman’s national shipping company.The contract will see APC’s MarineLINE coating system applied to two chemical tankers being constructed for Asyad Shipping Company.It is APC’s first deal with majority state-owned Asyad Shipping Company, which currently operates a fleet of more than 90 vessels, with a number of newbuilds in the pipeline.MarineLINE’s superior chemical resistance properties, ease and speed of cleaning…

Pirates have boarded a Malta-flagged products tanker off Somalia, maritime security sources said on Thursday, while the vessel's manager said the ship's 24 crew members were safe.Attacks on vessels by armed assailants in recent days have raised concerns for shipping lanes in a region across which critical energy and goods are transported to global markets.The Hellas Aphrodite, which was carrying gasoline, was en route from India to South Africa when a "security incident" took place on Thursday morning…

Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) has launched a Focused Inspection Campaign (FIC) under its SIRE 2.0 tanker inspection program aimed at reinforcing maritime security readiness across the global tanker fleet.The initiative comes in response to increasing geopolitical tensions, regional conflicts, and evolving security regulations that directly impact crew welfare, safety, and operational continuity. The campaign, commenced on October 1, 2025, will run for a minimum of six months…

Sea, the intelligent marketplace for fixing freight, and Pole Star Global, the maritime compliance authority behind PurpleTRAC, have together transformed how charterers, compliance teams, and legal administrators manage regulatory risk.Now fully integrated, Sea’s Recap Manager, a solution for recap and contract management, and PurpleTRAC’s sanctions screening and vessel monitoring solution are powering a smarter, faster, and more secure approach to fixing freight in the tanker market. With 100% screening certainty, every vessel that is entered in Recap Manager is automatically vetted.

An operation was underway on Monday to salvage the liquefied petroleum gas tanker MV Falcon, which remains on fire and adrift in the Gulf of Aden following an October 18 explosion on board, maritime security sources said.The Cameroon-flagged vessel was fully laden when the explosion occurred at 0700 GMT as it was sailing off Yemen, forcing most of its 26 crew members to abandon the vessel.The cause of the blast is unclear, but early indications suggest it was an accident related to its cargo…

Repsol has strengthened their bunkering operations in Peru with the deployment of the Bunker Tanker Thomas B (20,000 DWT). In addition to the Bunker Tanker Adrian (16,000 DWT) already operating in the Port of Callao, Repsol has more than doubled its total operational capacity in Peru.With these two high-capacity tankers in service, Repsol now offers 24/7 bunker delivery, and the product portfolio diversification is further strengthened:HSFO 3.5%s (High Sulfur Fuel Oil)VLSFO 0.5%s (Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil)LSMGO 0.1%s (Low Sulfur Marine Gas Oil)Bio-Bunker (B24 up to B100)Looking ahead…

Carbon Ridge, a developer of onboard carbon capture and storage solutions for the maritime industry, has achieved a shipping industry first with the successful deployment of a centrifugal onboard carbon capture system (OCCS) aboard an LR2 product tanker owned by Scorpio Tankers Inc.Conducted in partnership with Scorpio Tankers Inc., a leader in the seaborne transportation of refined petroleum products, the pilot aboard the vessel signals a milestone in the development and scaling…

Several Greek-managed tankers transporting Russian oil to Asia are increasingly avoiding the Red Sea, opting instead for the longer route around Africa, due to escalating security threats from Houthi attacks, three oil traders and LSEG shipping data show.The rerouting follows a deadly drone and speedboat assault earlier this month on a Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier off Yemen, which killed four seafarers. The Iran-backed Houthi group also sank another vessel in July…

Shipping company Stena Bulk confirmed that it is in the final stage of executing its plan to reflag five of its Suezmax tankers under the Swedish flag. The first vessel—Stena Sunrise—is now fully prepared for reflagging, which is scheduled to take place in Singapore at the end of July 2025.This milestone follows the company’s original ambition to complete all preparatory steps by 30 June, a goal that has now been fulfilled. Only the final practical steps remain, to be executed during the in-port flag change of Stena Sunrise.

A limpet mine may have caused a blast that damaged a Greek tanker sailing off Libya's coast last week, the fifth such incident to hit commercial shipping in the region in recent months, maritime security sources said on Tuesday.The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Vilamoura had left the Libyan port of Zuetina on June 27 to head to Gibraltar with some 1 million barrels of oil when there was an explosion in the engine room, its Greece-based operator TMS said on Monday.According to initial assessments, a limpet mine was a likely cause of the blast, four maritime security sources said.A company rep

Okeanis Eco Tankers (NYSE: ECO / OSE: OET) has secured a new $65 million term loan facility to finance the repurchase of its VLCC Nissos Kea under a previously announced sale-and-leaseback option. The new financing, led by E.SUN Commercial Bank, extends OET’s strategy of strengthening its capital structure and diversifying its financing sources.The seven-year secured loan carries an interest rate of Term SOFR plus 135 basis points and will be repaid through quarterly installments of $0.9 million, with a $39.8 million balloon payment due at maturity.

Performance Shipping Inc., a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of tanker vessels, announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a long-term time charter contract with Mercuria Energy Trading S.A. for its fourth newbuilding, the previously announced LR1 tanker scheduled for delivery in early 2027.The vessel will be chartered to Mercuria for a firm period of four years, through early 2031, at a daily gross charter rate of US$23,750. The agreement provides Mercuria with options to extend the charter for up to three additional one-year periods.

The U.S. issued Iran-related sanctions targeting more than 30 individuals and entities it said are part of a "shadow banking" network that has laundered billions of dollars through the global financial system, the Treasury Department said on Friday.The sanctions, which target Iranian nationals and some entities in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, were announced as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is working to get a new nuclear deal with Tehran. Treasury said…

The captain of a container ship that crashed into a U.S. tanker off Britain's east coast pleaded not guilty on Friday in a London court to manslaughter by gross negligence over the death of a crew member in the collision.Russian national Vladimir Motin, 59, was captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong that hit the Stena Immaculate tanker, carrying military jet fuel, on March 10.Motin was charged four days later with causing the death of Filipino national and Solong crew member Mark Pernia, 38, who is missing and presumed dead.He appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink on Friday and pleaded not guilty to one count of gross negligence manslaughter.(Reuters/Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by William James)